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1 RiversideCA.gov
1 RiversideCA.gov
PROGRESS REPORT ON STUDY TO OFFER
OPTIONAL SMALLER RESIDENTIAL SOLID
WASTE BINS
Mobility and Infrastructure Committee
January 11, 2024
Public Works Department
RiversideCA.gov
2 On June 27, 2023, the City Council set a public hearing regarding a Solid Waste rate proposal for September 19, 2023.
On September 19, 2023, the City Council conducted the public hearing and adopted the proposed Solid Waste rates alongside additional recommendations inclu ding a study of offering optional smaller residential solid waste bin sizes.
In October 2023, Solid Waste staff started an in-house study to determine the operational feasibility of offering an optional smaller bin to residential customers.
• Due to the aggressive timeline, consultants were unable to complete the study for less than $125,000.
• At the time of report submittal for this Committee agenda, staff was negotiating with a consultant to peer review staff’s research.
BACKGROUND
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2 RiversideCA.gov
3 • 63,484 Residential accounts
– City crews service 42,323
– 1 Private hauler services 21,161
• 7,408 commercial accounts
– All accounts serviced by 3 private haulers
• Through March 2029, all waste goes to
Agua Mansa Transfer Station/Materials
Recovery Facility
CURRENT OPERATIONS
RiversideCA.gov
4 Four areas of research:
1. Vehicles – what is the fleet’s ability to service smaller bins?
2. Case Study – what are other cities doing?
3. Financial Impacts – what would be the costs and potential revenue impacts?
4. Commodity Adherence / Inspect ion Demands – will residents co-mingle waste from different commodities when additional capacity is needed? Will staff be needed to enforce and encourage adherence compliance?
DISCUSSION
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3 RiversideCA.gov
5 • Existing fleet of 40 trucks currently services only 96- gallon bins
• Fleet can service 64-gallon bins without modifications • Modifications required to service 48 or 32-gallon bins Smaller bins fall into the truck hopper or spill contents New arms required, cost per vehicle is $20,000
FLEET CAPABILITIES
RiversideCA.gov
6 We learned that all cities handle solid waste programs differently!
“Trash is Local”
WHAT ARE OTHER CITIES DOING?
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7 Three main categories of service:
1. One bin size offered (Riverside’s current service)
2. Optional smaller bins at the same rate as the largest bin
3. “Pay as you throw” – optional smaller bins offered at a lower flat rate than largest bin size
WHAT ARE OTHER CITIES DOING?
RiversideCA.gov
8 Basic service is three 96-gallon bins for trash, recyclables, and organic waste. California requires all three.
Riverside - $34.72/month
Pomona - $35.50/month
– Also serviced by Athens, whose fleet is capable of servicing smaller bins
Fresno - $25.37/month
– Low-income seniors age 62+ may qualify for a 14% rate discount if they meet California Public Utilities Commission poverty level guidelines
ONE BIN SIZE
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9 OPTIONAL SMALL BINS AT SAME RATE AS LARGE BINS
Chino Hills
– Entered into new franchise agreement in July 2022, following 2-year period of cost-of-service analysis, RFP process for new hauler, and Municipal Code update prep
– Goal was to keep rates steady to mini mize impacts of hauler change to residents
– Basic service – three 95-gal bins for $27.56/month
• 65 or 35-gallon bins available for same rate
– Mostly requested by seniors and residents in mobile homes Santa Ana
– New franchise agreement in July 2022
– Basic service – three 96-gal bins for $22.94/month
• 65 or 35-gallon bins available for same rate
RiversideCA.gov
10 PAY AS YOU THROW - VOLUME
• Pay As You Throw (PAYT) – optional smaller bins for lower flat rate
• May incentivize waste reduction
• More challenging to administer due to complex billing • Contamination can become a challenge
• Offering customers mixed bin sizes can be challenging • Common in California
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11 PAY AS YOU THROW – SAN JOSE
• 3rd largest city in California, with 225,000 SW customers • Long-standing reputation as a leader in waste
management
• Adopted PAYT in 1993
– 96-gallon trash bin for $154.20/month
– 64-gallon trash bin for $102.80/month
– 32-gallon trash bin for $51.40
• 85% of customers subscribe to smallest size bin
– Currently piloting to move away from 32-gallon bins
RiversideCA.gov
12 PAY AS YOU THROW – ANAHEIM & ONTARIO
• Anaheim
– Three 96-gallon bins for $27.78/month
– Three 64 or 35-gallon bins for $26.61/month
• Ontario
– Three 96-gallon bins for $39.78/month
– Three 64-gallon bins for $35.60/month
– Three 32-gallon bins for $31.82/month
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13 PAY AS YOU THROW – PHOENIX, AZ
• “Save As You Reduce & Recycle (SAY R&R)
– Basic service is two 90-gallon bins for $35.17, for trash and recyclables
• Organics bins are optional in AZ, $5 additional per month – $3/month flat discount for a 60-gal trash bin
RiversideCA.gov
14 PAY AS YOU THROW – WEIGHT-BASED
• Not common for residential service in California
• Typical for commercial service
• Expensive to implement due to specialized
equipment for fleet to weigh waste from each
individual bin
• Billing is complex
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15 FINANCIAL IMPACTS
• Demand plateau hard to predict
• Tiered sate structure may help drive demand
• Inventory investment is costly
– Three 64-gallon bins for 1,000 accounts = $195,000
• Represents 1.5% of all City residential customers
RiversideCA.gov
16 FINANCIAL IMPACTS
• Over time, as habits change tonnage transported
to MRF may decrease
• Contaminated trash and recycling may be more
problematic
• Enforcement & education are critical
– Code Enforcement to “flip lids” and issue notices
– Technology in the trucks to capture images of waste stream – Public education to message what goes in each bin
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17 ENFORCEMENT / EDUCATION
• San Jose – pilot programs
1. 5,000 homes where contamination is highest
• Custom bin lids messaging what can/cannot go into each bin • Contamination reduced during the pilot
2. 4,200 homes changed from 32-gallon to 96-gallon bins for 18 months, recently extended through 2024
• Customer feedback: large bins were more than needed, seniors had a harder time pulling them to the curb
3. Starting in Jan. 2024 – select areas will be upgraded by 32-gallons • Sense is that 64-gallon bins will be most popular
• Pilots will be followed by cost-of-service study including rate review RiversideCA.gov
18 ENFORCEMENT / EDUCATION
• San Antonio – at peak had 30 Code Enforcement Officers patrolling recycling bins
• Athens – team of 6 “auditors” who flip lids and issue notices – Dispatched quarterly in each of their customer cities – Check 400-700 locations per day
• Riverside
– Bringing technology improvements to trucks in 2024
– Seeking grant funding to implement lid flipping, also required by SB 1383 – Recruiting for a new Education Coordinator
– Enforcement staff may be needed for residential solid waste 17 18
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19 POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO REVENUES
• Cost-of-service study needed
– Analyze volumes of waste generated on each route to
calculate average bin needs by neighborhood and project right-sizing bin needs
– Proposing alternate rate scenarios to properly capture the cost of service for optional smalle r bins requires Prop. 218 rate setting process
RiversideCA.gov
20 OPTIONS
1. Offer seniors enrolled in SHARE with smaller bin option – Demographics not captured for SHARE program
– Demand difficult to anticipate
– Inventory costs need to be considered
2. Expand current “valet” service offered at no cost to disabled residents
– 466 currently enrolled
– Expand to seniors 65 and older who do not have an able-bodied person in the household to bring the bins to the curb
– Possible route delays due to operators spending more time out of truck 19 20
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21 Strategic Priority 5 – High Performing Government
Cross-Cutting Threads
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
RiversideCA.gov
22 That the Mobility and Infrastructure Committee receive a progress report and provide feedback on offering optional smaller residential solid waste bins.
RECOMMENDATION
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